


Separation Anxiety

by mcschnuggles



Series: Little Deviant Hunter [17]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, CGRE - Caregiver/Age Regressor, Caregiver!Conrad, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Regressing!Connor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26002507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles
Summary: Hank has to leave on a case while Connor is in headspace, leaving Conrad with a very anxious Connor to look after.
Relationships: Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900
Series: Little Deviant Hunter [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1128770
Comments: 17
Kudos: 58





	Separation Anxiety

**Author's Note:**

> This is a commissioned piece that sat in limbo for a while, but hey, now it's finished, the client loved it, so I thought I'd share it here too :)

Separation anxiety.

Separation anxiety refers to excessive fear or worry a young child feels about separation from home or an attachment figure. Separation anxiety is a normal stage in a child’s development, as it helps children understand relationships and master their environment. Separation anxiety, as is the case with many other emotional issues in children, should be handled with care and patience. Recommended tactics for dealing with separation anxiety is reassurance, engagement, and distraction

Connor lingers beside Hank, one hand clutching Hunter, the other knotted in Hank’s jacket, the anxiety clear in his face. His LED has been spinning a constant yellow for the past five minutes.

“His stuffed animals are named Hunter, Frosty, and Feathers.” Hank says. “He likes it when you talk to them.”

Conrad nods. “Noted.”

“He’ll want a nap around three. It’s basically just quiet time for him, and that should last about an hour.”

“Mr. Anderson.” Conrad interrupts. “While I understand that this is mostly for your sound of mind, I must remind you that I have a full and comprehensive database of Connor’s care. He will be fine.”

Hank’s shoulders sag, and he nervously scratches at the back of his neck. “Right. Sorry.”

Conrad flashes a half-smile. He’s learned from experience that anything more can easily come across as unsettling, especially as he’s still learning the full breadth of his emotions. “No worries. Connor and I will have fun today. Right, Connor?”

Connor doesn’t answer.

Conrad’s smile fades. Connor’s reaction is understandable and expected, but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less. While his emotions are something new and exciting, he forces them back for rationality’s sake.

This is Connor’s first time being separated from Hank while regressed. Of course there have been times where they’ve been apart and Connor has regressed, but this is the first time he will actively be losing that caregiving presence, let alone to something as high stakes and high stress as a murder investigation.

Needless to say, it’s a lot for a little boy to deal with.

“Bye, Connor.” Hank says. His smile is strained. The lieutenant wants to leave just about as much as Connor does, but he doesn’t have the same excuse Connor does. “Be good, okay?”

Connor keeps his eyes downcast, not moving, not reacting, as Hank gently pries the fingers attached to his jacket.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Hank promises, pressing a kiss to his forehead. He takes one step back, then another, the hesitation clear in his face.

“Mr. Anderson.” Conrad says. For this situation, Hank will also need understanding and assurance, both of which he is more than happy to provide. He allows his features to soften, breaking out of the “resting bitch face” Gavin loves to tease him about so frequently. “We will call you if anything happens. There’s no reason to worry.”

Hank straightens up, his cheeks staining pink. “Right. Of course. I’m not doubting you, it’s just…” He trails off, and when he speaks again, his voice is leagues softer. “The first time is always the hardest.”

Conrad nods. “I would advise you to take your time, but I’m afraid Captain Fowler will not grant you the same leniency.”

Hank cracks a rueful smile. “Ya got me there.” He gives Connor another kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”

And with that, he’s gone.

Conrad is blindingly aware that he is, for the time being, Connor’s sole caretaker. He takes a moment to assess the emotion he’s now feeling and files it under “unadulterated terror.” Further examination will be necessary, at a later time. First, he must distract Connor with an activity.

“Connor,” he says softly, “would you like to introduce me to your stuffed animals? Mr. Anderson told me much about them, but I’d still like to get to know them personally.”

Connor’s head swivels in his direction, wariness painted all over his face.

It’s hard, but Conrad once again tells himself that this is about Connor missing Hank, not about Conrad being an inadequate caregiver. After a long moment, his LED shifts from yellow to blue. “Okay…”

Conrad offers a smile in response. “Thank you very much! Come along now.”

Thankfully, Connor moves away from the door without much fuss, even if he does keep glancing over his shoulder. Conrad just supposes that his next task will distracting Connor away from that as well.

They sit on the floor, Connor’s stuffed animals spread out in a small arc. Conrad points to the stuffed husky. “This is Hunter, correct?”

Connor nods.

“Tell me about him.”

Connor shifts uncomfortably, taking the chance to check the front door one more time. “Well, Hunter likes naps. His favorite color is blue and his favorite show is Scooby-Doo. We watch it together lots.”

He goes through the rest of his stuffies just as mechanically, and it’s clear his heart isn’t in it.

Conrad smiles and nods, asking questions in all the right places, but it still isn’t enough to pull Connor out of his head. Strange how such tactics don’t guarantee success, but ultimately that just means Conrad will have to be more emotionally attuned.

So when Connor finishes his introductions, Conrad thanks him before saying, “Connor, I can’t help but notice you seem rather sad still. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Connor glances up, looking half-ashamed of how clearly his feelings are displayed. Well, that’s no good. “Can we call Hank?” Connor asks, voice tiny.

“He’s fine, I assure you.” Conrad says. “He hasn’t been gone five minutes.”

Connor worries his lip nonetheless, and his puppy dog eyes speak volumes.

A sympathy response would be optimal. Often children use ploys like these for attention, but this is not Connor’s goal, he’s aware. He’s just a kid who wants his dad. Nothing more, nothing less.

“But we can most definitely call him.” Conrad decides. “We promised we would, remember? We just have to be careful about how much we call him, okay? He’s working.”

Connor nods, but the way he perks up when he’s handed his own cell phone. Technically, he doesn’t need one, but he finds the presence comforting and his own hard drive won’t download the games he likes.

“Hi, Dad.”

There’s a pause. Conrad opts to turn down his hearing’s sensitivity setting. After all, it would be rude to eavesdrop on such a moment.

“Just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Connor murmurs.

There’s another pause, and judging from the way Connor’s face falls, Hank is already saying that he has to go.

“Okay.”

Another pause, this one much longer. Conrad can’t tell if it’s because Hank is speaking or because Connor is taking an extra moment to respond.

Finally, Connor’s chin wobbles. “Okay.” He balls his sleeve up around his wrist and hurriedly wipes away the tears the form in his eyes. “Love you, too.”

They say their goodbyes, and Connor promptly curls up on the couch and places the phone in the space before him. He watches the screen intently, waiting for the second Hank calls back.

What Connor needs now is a distraction. Hopefully many distractions. But what to distract a child with?

A movie? No, he needs something more engaging. He can see Connor withdrawing into his own head. What they both need right now is something direct, engaging, and allowing for a lot of physical contact.

“Connor.” Conrad says. He only continues when he’s sure he has Connor’s attention. “How would you like to make something special for the lieutenant?”

Connor perks up at the sound of that. “Like brownies?”

Conrad smiles at that. “Does Lieutenant Anderson like brownies?”

Much to his relief, Connor sits up. The phone is still tight in his hand, but it’s no longer the center of his world. “They’re his favorite, but he can’t make them. He always burns them.”

Conrad chuckles. “That sounds like an excellent idea, Connor.” Brownies are safe enough to make, especially for androids. He won’t be able to burn himself, so it’s basically perfect. And if it’ll distract Connor for an hour or two, then he’s all for it.

In an unsurprising streak of independence, Connor insists on doing everything himself, only allowing Conrad to supervise.

Thankfully, Connor is very meticulous about his projects, so Conrad doesn’t have much to worry about. He measures carefully, washes his hands after touching eggs, and doesn’t use any utensil more than once without washing it first. Compared to Gavin, it’s a dream. Really, he must ask the lieutenant what his secret is for creating such good behavior.

Unfortunately, they hit a snag when it comes to the oven. As expected, Connor’s very cautious, but cautiousness only goes so far. He wears oven mitts when placing the brownie pan into the oven, but those only serve to make him a little more clumsy. As he slides the pan back, his hands fumble, and the brownie pan tips.

Now, Conrad isn’t the most cautious android when it comes to others. At this point, he thinks it’s just embedded into the RK model’s coding. So when he sees the possibility of Connor’s hard work going to waste, he doesn’t think. He just does what he can to save it.

“Conrad!” Connor squeals.

His pain receptors tell him that his hands are currently undergoing extreme heat, and as he looks past his ocular warnings, he sees his synthetic skin has disappeared where his fingers made contact with the grating of the oven. The brownie batter, however, is perfectly fine.

“Connor, I’m fine. My model and make is impervious to all epidermal injuries, especially burning and freezing temperatures.” He holds up his hand, letting Connor watch as his synthetic skin grows back into place over his fingers. “See?”

Connor doesn’t answer, but his wobbling lower lip does all the talking for him. Conrad can practically see him retreating back into his own head.

Remain calm, force them to act rationally, but make them feel validated in their emotions at the same time. “I understand your fears, Connor, but perhaps they would feel less substantial if you were to talk through them?” Conrad suggests. “I can’t help but feel this may extend past a mishap with an oven.”

Connor shakes his head. “It’s stupid.”

“I’m certain it’s not, but even if it is, wouldn’t it feel better to have another’s confirmation?”

Connor’s quiet for a long, long moment as he makes his decision. “Dad’s work is dangerous.” Connor begins, fiddling with the end of his shirt. He left all his stuffies in the living room, leaving his hands woefully empty at the moment.

“It is. We all work in a dangerous field, and the lieutenant is no exception.”

Connor’s frown deepens. “Yeah, but I’m supposed to be there to protect him.”

“The lieutenant is perfectly capable of defending himself.”

“I know that, but…” Connor trails off, absently kicking his feet. “I’m scared something will happen to him when I’m not there.”

“I see.” Conrad hops up on the counter, sitting beside Connor. It feels a little silly, but he knows it was the right move seeing how instantaneously Connor relaxes. “That’s a fear we must all grapple with. I’ve felt the same way.”

“You have?”

“Frequently. Gavin and I stagger our days off so some semblance of housework gets done.”

“So…how do you deal with that? Isn’t it scary?”

“It’s very scary.” Conrad agrees. “And there are days when all the distractions in the world won’t help. But in the end, it comes down to trust. I trust Gavin is capable, I trust he’ll tackle each case, and I trust that no matter what, he’ll come back safe, or he can trust I’ll be going out there and dragging his sorry butt back home myself.”

Connor giggles at that. “I trust Dad. Lots and lots. It’s the mean humans I don’t trust.”

“But do you trust that Lieutenant Anderson is smart enough to not get hurt?”

Connor’s eyes go wide. “Of course! It’s just…um…” He trails off, his LED glowing a faint yellow.

Conrad chuckles. “I’ll give you some time to think on that.” After all, Connor doesn’t seem concerned with doing the dishes, and he’d like to make himself useful to some capacity in this adventure.

It isn’t until his internal fans detect smoke that he realizes something is wrong.

Connor must realize it too. “The brownies!”

Conrad makes a dash for them, ignoring the oven mitts for a second time to yank the brownies out as quick as possible.

“Are they burned?” Connor asks.

“Slightly.” Conrad answers, testing a toothpick. “It seems I underestimated Lieutenant Anderson’s baking ability. Either that, or how easy it is to burn brownies.”

“Can he still eat them?”

“I should think so. The corner pieces might not be as gooey as the packaging advertised, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Dad likes the center pieces anyway.”

“Perfect! Let’s fix him a plate for when he comes home, alright?”

Conrad breathes a silent sigh of relief. That should be plenty of time for Hank to return to them safe and sound.

Mission successful. 

**Author's Note:**

> mcschnuggles.tumblr.com


End file.
